Method and System for Designing Ring-Based Telecommunications Networks

ABSTRACT

A method and system for designing a bi-connected ring-based network is provided, which designs from scratch or converts an existing network to a dual-homed ring-based network. The network covers the locations capable of being bi-connected with one or more cycles/rings. The traffic demand is then routed via the cycles, in such a way so as to minimize the amount of network traffic management equipment required.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/268,201, filed Feb. 12, 2001, and U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 60/270,094, filed Feb. 20, 2001.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to methods and systems for designing ring-basedcommunications systems. More particularly, the methods and systemspertain to designing networks with dual-homed rings from previouslynon-ring based networks, from scratch, or to optimize already existingdual-homed or non-dual-homed ring-based networks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the challenges facing telecommunication providers is thatexisting networks are continuously needing to be updated, in order tokeep up with ever increasing customer demands and anticipated futuredemand including the demand for increased data transmission speeds andcapacity. One area of technology that has been increasingly used to keepup with customer demand is the use of optical signal transmissionequipment.

Beneficial features associated with the use of optical signaltransmission, including the type of transmission used in fiber-opticsystems, has led to their increased use in the design and implementationof communication networks. One of the benefits of optical signaltransmission is the distance an unamplified optical signal can travelprior to being received. Existing glass fiber, and corresponding systemelectronics, enable digitized light signals to be transmitted 100 km ormore without amplification. A further benefit of optical signaltransmission is the volume or bandwidth of traffic that can be routedthrough a single signal carrying connection, like an optical fiber. Datarates of up to 10 Gbps at a single wavelength are routinely possible.Systems are available, which can support 150 or more wavelengths.

One of the earlier hurdles to designing networks incorporating earlygenerations of fiber-optic systems, integrated as part of the publictelephone network, involved the extensive use of proprietaryarchitectures by equipment manufacturers including correspondingproprietary hardware and communication protocols. The proprietaryarchitectures limited the ability of network users and designers, likeBell operating companies and inter-exchange carriers to integrateequipment from different suppliers into their systems, when developingor updating a network. This significantly limited the designers choicesand options in terms of equipment and features after an initialproprietary scheme was selected to the available features incorporatedinto the equipment compatible with the proprietary scheme. In many casesthis limited the network designer to equipment produced or supplied by asingle vendor. As a result, it became desirable to develop a standardfor which multiple manufacturers of optical network equipment couldsupply compatible products. One such standard for opticaltelecommunications transport, which was developed, is theSONET/synchronous digital hierarchy.

SONET stands for Synchronous Optical NETwork, and was formulated toprovide a standard, comprehensive, synchronous digital hierarchy, whichincludes an optical hierarchy on top of an already existing electricalhierarchy. Furthermore this standard opened up the possibility ofacquiring equipment manufactured by multiple suppliers, and integratingsuch diverse equipment into the same network.

As optical networks have begun to shoulder an increasing portion of thenetwork traffic, general design principles applied to the communicationssystems are being more rigorously applied to the optical hierarchy layerof the communication network. One of these design principles is a desirefor network survivability should a network component fail.

Traditional approaches to network survivability have included the use ofredundant signal paths and equipment, and the ability to automaticallyreroute traffic in the event of a network failure. As a result previouspoint-to-point optical networks have increasingly given way toring-based networks, which have certain inherent self-healingproperties.

In a ring-based network the locations or nodes are arranged in a closedloop sequence. The last node in the sequence is connected to the firstnode in the sequence.

One or more of these rings or cycles are defined for a given set oflocations or nodes. In a ring-based network, the locations located on agiven ring, are inherently biconnected. This means that between any twolocations two disjoint signal paths exist between them. Morespecifically in a SONET-based ring network a clockwise path and acounter-clockwise path generally exist. In SONET-based ring networks aservice fiber traditionally transmits traffic data in one direction,while a protection fiber transmits traffic data in an oppositedirection.

In networks where multiple rings are defined, redundant signal paths fortraffic communications between rings and corresponding locations on eachof the respective rings can be met by incorporating dual-homed rings orrings that are bi-connected to at least one of the other defined rings.In other words, the two rings have at least a pair of common locationspresent on both of the rings through which traffic can be routed. Inthis way, should the communication equipment associated with one of theshared locations fail and no longer be able to communicate signaltraffic between rings at that location, the communication equipment atthe second shared location is available for alternatively routing thetraffic data between the rings.

However as the number of locations and the corresponding amount ofnetwork traffic traveling between locations increases, decisions as tohow to define the rings and how to deploy the communication equipment inan efficient and a cost effective manner can become quite complex. As aresult, it would be beneficial to develop a structured method and systemfor systematically designing relatively efficient ring-basedtelecommunications networks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method for designing a bi-connectedring-based network. The method includes receiving a list of locationswhere network traffic is at least one of originated and delivered,receiving a list of pairs of directly connected locations, and receivinga list of traffic demand between each of the listed pairs of locations.Each pair of directly connected locations defines a correspondingnetwork traffic carrying connection. This connection includes one ormore signal carrying connections between each of the directly connectedlocations, and a capacity for each of the network traffic carryingconnections.

The method determines a dual-homed cover including one or moredual-homed cycles, where each cycle comprises a closed loop sequence ofdirectly connected locations and corresponding network traffic carryingconnections. Each location, which is capable of being bi-connected isincluded in at least one of the one or more dual homed cycles.

Traffic demand is then routed over the one or more cycles via the one ormore of the network traffic carrying connections. A representationcontaining the designed bi-connected ring-based network is then eitherstored or outputted as a report.

In one aspect, determining a dual homed cover includes finding a list ofcandidate cycles, and selecting one or more of the candidate cycles fromthe list. In selecting the one or more of the candidate cycles, eachcycle is rated, and the best rated cycle is selected. A determination isthen made whether the selected cycles cover all the locations capable ofbeing bi-connected.

If the selected cycles do not cover all of the locations capable ofbeing bi-connected, an additional cycle is selected. The selected cycleneeds to be bi-connected with at least one of the previously selectedcycles, and have the best rating in combination with the previouslyselected cycles. The selection process is repeated for additional cyclesuntil all locations capable of being bi-connected are covered.

In another aspect, routing the traffic demand includes grooming thetraffic demand assigned to the available signal carrying connections ofthe one or more cycles so as to minimize the amount of network trafficmanagement equipment required for routing the traffic demand. Inconnection with grooming the traffic demand, a list of traffic demandentries is created. Each traffic demand entry comprises a value of thevolume of traffic and a sequence of network traffic carrying connectionsthat the traffic traverses.

A list of signal carrying connections is also created. Each signalcarrying connection comprises a traffic carrying capacity, a valuecorresponding to the amount of traffic already assigned, and a list oftraffic management equipment supporting the already assigned traffic.The traffic demand entries are then rated with respect to the signalcarrying connections having unassigned capacity. The value of the volumeof traffic associated with the traffic demand entry is then assigned tothe corresponding signal carrying connection having unassigned capacity.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, after the traffic demandis routed over the one or more cycles, additional traffic carryingcapacity is added for each of the network traffic carrying connections,where the routed traffic demand exceeds the available capacity.Additional traffic carrying capacity can be added by adding additionalsignal carrying connections between the corresponding directly connectedlocations, or increasing the bandwidth of the existing signal carryingconnections by compressing multiple data streams onto the same signalcarrying connection.

The present invention further provides a system for designing ring-basedcommunication networks. The system includes a processor of executableinstructions for executing a plurality of pre-stored, executableinstructions. The specifying characteristics of the communication systemare received via an input device. The selected set of rings and thetraffic allocated on the rings resulting from the execution ofinstructions by the processor are stored or communicated to a user viaan output device.

The system additionally includes sets of prestored executableinstructions. Some of the instructions facilitate forming a plurality ofconnected rings, each containing a sequence of directly connectedlocations or nodes. The nodes can represent multiple central offices,joined by one or more communications links, for example one or moreoptical fibers. Another set of instructions facilitates selection of oneor more of the rings. Yet another set of instructions facilitatesallocating the traffic onto the rings.

The present invention further provides a computer program including setsof executable instructions contained on a computer readable storagemedium. The sets of executable instructions include a first set ofinstructions for receiving information defining a network. The sets ofexecutable instructions further include a second set of instructions forforming a bi-connected representation of a network. A third set ofinstructions is included for forming a file defining connecting linksbetween nodes. A fourth set of instruction is included for forming atraffic data file.

In one aspect, a further set of executable instructions facilitates theformation and selection of one or more rings for forming thebi-connected representation of the network. A still further setfacilitates the processing of the traffic data file for routing thetraffic through the bi-connected representation of the network.

Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention willbecome readily apparent from the following detailed description of theinvention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a simple Sonet-based ring network ofthe type known in the prior art.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a pair of dual-homed rings.

FIG. 3 illustrates a hypothetical example of an already existingpoint-to-point network for which conversion to a dual-homed ring-basednetwork is desired.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method, in accordance with the present invention,in the form of a flow diagram, which provides for the design of aring-based network including the conversion of a point-to-point networktopology to a dual-homed ring-based network topology.

FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate representative examples of data structures in theform of lists and matrices, which contain the various data fordescribing an existing network and/or the criteria to which a newnetwork is to be designed, in connection with performing the method ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates a more specific flow diagram of the step fordetermining a dual-homed cover, illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a dual-homed cover for the samplenetwork topology illustrated in FIG. 3, consistent with application ofthe method of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 illustrates a more specific flow diagram of the step for routingthe traffic demand over the one or more cycles, illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example where it may be beneficial to reroutetraffic on a given cycle/ring 600 away from the shortest route in orderto minimize the volume of traffic through the most heavily congestededge.

FIG. 10 illustrates three dual-homed rings, through which traffictraveling between location a1 located on cycle a is routed to a locationc6 located on cycle c.

FIG. 11 illustrates a more specific flow diagram of the step for ratingthe traffic demand entries with respect to the signal carryingconnections having unassigned demand, illustrated in FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 illustrates two signal carrying connections traversing locationsa, b and c, which represent portions of two corresponding Sonet-rings.

FIG. 13 illustrates an isometric view of an exemplary system including acomputer for performing all or parts of the method illustrated in FIG.4.

FIG. 14 illustrates a block diagram of the exemplary system illustratedin FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there are shown in the drawing and will be described herein indetail specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that thepresent disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of theprinciples of the invention and is not intended to limit the inventionto the specific embodiments illustrated.

Generally Sonet-based ring networks include multiple locations coupledtogether in sequence in a ring configuration, where the first locationof the sequence is directly connected to the last location in thesequence. Typically associated with each location, are add-dropmultiplexers which can facilitate the insertion or removal of signaltraffic from the ring. The traffic can be either uni-directional orbi-directional.

As noted previously, one of the features of a ring topology is itssurvivability. If one of the connections is cut, the add-dropmultiplexers are programmed to reroute the signal traffic by analternative path. Given the nature of Sonet-based ring topologies, aftera connection is cut signal traffic can often be automatically re-routedin a manner of milliseconds.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a simple Sonet-based ring network 10 ofthe type known in the prior art. The uni-directional version generallyincorporates a pair of fibers 12 and 14 connected between each of thedirectly coupled locations, where one of the fibers 12 routes signaltraffic in a clockwise direction, and the other fiber 14 routes signaltraffic in a counter-clockwise direction. Correspondingly one of thefibers is identified as a service fiber, while the other fiber isidentified as a protection fiber.

The illustrated Sonet-based uni-directional ring architecture can bereadily expanded to accommodate bi-directional traffic by grouping anadditional fiber connection to each of the service fiber and protectionfiber. Generally within each pair of fibers forming either the servicefiber connection or the protection fiber connection, one of the fibersis configured to route signal traffic in a clockwise direction, whilethe other fiber is configured to route signal traffic in acounter-clockwise direction.

At each of the locations where traffic is to be inserted or removed areone or more add-drop multiplexers 16. The add-drop multiplexers 16facilitate both the insertion and removal of signal traffic onto and offof the fiber ring connections 12 and 14 via on-ramp 18 and off-ramp 20connections.

In network topologies were multiple rings are defined, in order to routetraffic from a location located on a first ring, to a location locatedon a second ring, and without traveling on a third ring, the first andsecond rings must share at least one location in common through whichsignal traffic can be routed between the rings. However where the ringsshare only a single location in common, should the equipment fail, whichfacilitates the routing of signal traffic between the two rings at thatlocation, the traffic between rings would be prevented from being routedto their final destination. Consequently, network designers haveincorporated the use of dual-homed connections between rings, or inother words rings which share at least two locations in common throughwhich signal traffic between the rings can be routed.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a pair of dual-homed rings 30. A firstring 32 includes locations a, c and z. A second ring 34 includeslocations a, b, c and y. The first ring 32 is capable of beingdual-homed with respect to the second ring 34, because they share atleast two locations in common, locations a and c. While often times theshared locations are located directly adjacent on the ring to oneanother, such as in the first ring 32, the shared locations do not needto be adjacent, such as in the second ring 34. Other locations, likelocation b, can be intermediate to the locations acting as sharedlocations.

Such a dual-homed configuration 30 enables traffic originating atlocations z on the first ring 32 to be routed to location y on thesecond ring 34, via either one or both of locations a and c. If theequipment at one of the locations, like location a, were to fail, thetraffic between locations y and z could be re-routed through location c.

FIG. 3 illustrates a hypothetical example of an already existingpoint-to-point network 40 for which conversion to a dual-homedring-based network is desired. The point-to-point network 40 includeslocations a-x. The network 40 additionally includes a plurality of edges42 between various pairs of directly connected locations. The edges 42generally correspond to already existing fiber connections between thecorresponding locations.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method 100, in accordance with the presentinvention, in the form of a flow diagram which provides for the designof a ring-based network including the conversion of a point-to-pointnetwork topology to a dual-homed ring-based network topology. The method100 initially includes receiving one or more lists describing the dataassociated with the locations to be included in network, the alreadyexisting connections between them, an indication of the present demandand/or the anticipated signal traffic to be routed between thelocations.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, a list is received 110including locations where signal traffic is originated and/or delivered.In addition to the list of locations a list of pairs of directlyconnected locations is received 120 including a network traffic carryingconnection and a corresponding network traffic capacity. A list oftraffic demand traveling between locations is also received 130.

After the data describing the network to be designed is received, adual-homed cover is determined 140, the cover includes one or morecycles/rings, where each location capable of being bi-connected, isincluded in at least one of the dual-homed cycles. After the cycles areselected the traffic demand is routed 150 over the one or more cycles. Areport including a representation of the designed ring-based network isthen outputted or stored 160.

In at least one embodiment the method is implemented as set ofinstructions executed within a computer. FIGS. 5A-5D illustraterepresentative examples of data structures, with respect to theexemplary network 40, in the form of lists and matrices, which containthe various data for describing an existing network and/or the criteriato which a new network is to be designed.

FIG. 5A illustrates a partial list 200 of locations, where traffic isoriginated and/or delivered, including a single column 205 of locations.FIG. 5B illustrates a second partial list 210 of pairs of directlyconnected locations including a pair of columns 215 and 220,corresponding to the pair of directly connected locations. Anothercolumn 225 includes the number of physical network traffic carryingconnections between the directly connected locations, and a furthercolumn 230 including the number of physical network traffic carryingconnections not presently being used.

FIG. 5C illustrates a third partial list 235 of traffic demand betweenlocations including a pair of columns 240 and 245 corresponding to thepair of locations. A third column 250 corresponds to the traffic demandbetween the pair of locations.

FIG. 5D illustrates how the data describing the network may bere-formatted after the lists are read by the computer. Morespecifically, FIG. 5D illustrates the partial list 235 of trafficdemand, shown in FIG. 5C, re-formatted as a symmetrical traffic matrix255.

In some instances, some or all of the traffic entries in the trafficmatrix 255 are increased to accommodate future anticipated growth indemand. Sometimes the traffic entries in the traffic matrix 255 aresimply multiplied by a common factor, for example six. In this way, thenetwork can provide room to grow as opposed to being made obsolete byany expansion in the traffic demand.

It is possible that any of the lists could be represented by two or moreseparate lists. However in these instances it is helpful if the separatelists use the same units or it is readily known how to convert the datain one of the lists so as to correspond to the data in the other similarlists. Similarly, it would also be beneficial if the related data indifferent lists have the same units or that they are also readilyconvertible.

The lists contain the data from which a network can be designed. Oncereceived, a dual homed cover including one or more cycles can bedetermined 140.

FIG. 6 illustrates a more specific flow diagram 300 corresponding to thestep 140 for determining a dual-homed cover. Initially, the method 300provides for finding 310 a list of candidate cycles. This list includesa minimal length cycle for each unordered pair of locations capable ofbeing bi-connected.

In many instances it is desirable to eliminate any extra locationscorresponding to redundantly present locations or locations which appearin the list more than once, and locations which only connect to theother locations through a single directly connected location from thelist of locations to be covered by the one or more cycles from whichcandidate cycles are to be determined. In the first instance redundantlocations may make it appear as if certain locations are capable ofbeing bi-connected, when in fact it is only connected through a singlelocation. In the latter instance it is not possible to define a ringwhich travels through a location, which is not directly connected to atleast two other locations, without overlapping a portion of itself.

In at least one embodiment, finding a minimal length cycle for eachunordered pair of locations includes finding the two shortest disjointpaths between each unordered pair of locations, and making the two pathsseparate arcs in the cycle/ring. Disjoint paths refer to paths which,separate from the locations being connected, do not include any otherlocations in common.

After a minimal length cycle is found for each unordered pair oflocations, redundant cycles are removed 320 from the list, as well ascycles containing more than a predetermined maximum number of locations.In the latter case, at least one embodiment limits cycle/ring size tothose rings having fewer than sixteen locations. Present Sonetrequirements limit the number of add-drop multiplexors to sixteen. Soany cycle containing more than sixteen locations is removed from thelist of candidate cycles.

Redundant cycles can be more readily determined by ordering the list oflocations in each of the cycles starting with the location appearing onthe cycle, which would appear first in a sorted list of those locations.Similarly, the order in which the locations of the cycle are representedin the list (i.e. a list corresponding to clockwise vs.counter-clockwise travel around the cycle) is determined by listing thesecond location in the cycle sequence as the one of the two locationsdirectly connected to the first location, which if the two locationswere sorted, the listed second location in the sequence would appear inthe sorted list first. Once each cycle has its locations listed in theabove identified manner, redundant cycles would appear in the list inidentical form. Once listed this way redundant cycles can be morereadily identified and removed.

It is possible that as an alternative to finding only the minimal lengthcycles between each of the unordered pair of locations, that all cyclescould be determined. However where the network to be designed isrelatively large or complex this could take a large amount of processingtime, and/or a large amount of processing resources like memory.Additionally the subsequent processing of the larger list of cycles, insubsequent steps in the method, would also take a longer amount of time,and make larger demands upon processing resources.

In some system designs where the design is relatively small or thecomputational resources available for finding a solution are relativelylarge it may be possible to routinely examine an exhaustive list ofpossible solutions. Where resources are more limited or the complexityof the network to be designed is relatively large, it may be desirableto implement a resource-limited process. Such a process, for example,selects the best solutions located (i.e. cycles) within a specifiedamount of time. Consequently, another alternative could determine theminimal length cycles for each unordered pair of locations. It couldthen allow for the list to be supplemented with other non-minimal lengthcycles. The supplementation could continue until a fixed amount of timeallotted for finding a list of candidate cycles has transpired.

Where a similar time limitation to the processing is necessary at othersteps in the method, a solution which pre-allocates only a specificportion of an overall specified amount of time can insure that thedesired amount of processing time is preserved for later steps in themethod.

After the redundant cycles or cycles containing more than apredetermined number of locations are removed 320, each cycle remainingin the list is rated 330. The cycle with the best rating is thenselected 340. A determination 350 is then made as to whether theselected cycle(s) cover all of the locations capable of beingbi-connected.

If the selected cycle(s) cover all of the locations capable of beingbi-connected, the portion of the method 100 for determining 300 adual-homed cover is complete. If the selected cycle(s) do not cover allof the locations capable of being bi-connected, additional cycles whichare dual-homed/bi-connected with at least one of the previously selectedcycles, and which in combination with the previously selected cycleshave the best rating is selected 360, until a complete dual-homed coveris found.

Rating each of the cycles, in combination with the previously selectedcycles, if any, requires that the cycle contain at least one locationnot contained in a previously selected cycle. If the cycle does notcontain a non-covered location, for at least this selection iteration,the cycle is given a rating which precludes its selection. If othercycle(s) have been previously selected, a cycle will similarly be givena rating which precludes its selection, if the cycle is notdual-homed/bi-connected with at least one of the previously selectedcycles. If the cycle includes at least one location not contained in apreviously selected cycle, and the cycle is dual-homed/bi-connected withat least one of the previously selected cycles, a traffic assignmentapproximation is performed for determining the cycle's rating.

Traffic is assigned to the combination of previously selected cycles andthe candidate cycle being rated as follows. For each of the trafficdemand entries from the list 235 of traffic demand or the traffic matrix255, the two locations between which the traffic demand is traveling arecompared against the locations on each of the previously selected cyclesand the candidate cycle being rated. Consideration is also given towhether the traffic would be intra-ring traffic or inter-ring traffic.

-   -   1. If none of the locations appear on any of the cycles the        corresponding traffic demand is ignored.    -   2. If one of the locations appears on “n” of the previously        selected or the candidate cycle, while the other one of the        locations appears on none of the previously selected or        candidate cycle, then an amount of inter-ring traffic,        corresponding to the value of the traffic demand divided by “n”,        is assigned to each of the “n” cycles.    -   3. If both of the locations appear on “n” of the cycles, then an        amount of intra-ring traffic, corresponding to the value of the        traffic demand divided by “n”, is assigned to each of the “n”        cycles.    -   4. Finally, if one of the locations appears on “m” of the        previously selected or the candidate cycles, and the other        location is present on “n” of the previously selected or the        candidate cycles, none of which contain both of the locations,        then an amount of inter-ring traffic, corresponding to the value        of the traffic demand divided by “m”, is assigned to each of the        “m” cycles, while an amount of inter-ring traffic, corresponding        to the value of the traffic demand divided by “n”, is assigned        to each of the “n” cycles.

Once the traffic has been assigned to the selected and candidate cyclesan approximate amount of bandwidth is computed for each cycle. Thebandwidth is computed as follows. The amount of inter-ring trafficassigned to the cycle is assigned to every edge or network trafficcarrying connection of the cycle.

The amount of intra-ring traffic to be assigned to each edge or networktraffic carrying connection of the cycle is determined by a loadbalancing method described by Myung-Kim-Tcha, and published inOperations Research, Vol. 45, No. 1, January-February 1997, applied tothe amount of intra-ring traffic assigned to the cycle. The inter-ringtraffic assigned to each edge is added to the correspondingly assignedintra-ring traffic. The thickness of the cycle is then defined as theedge having the largest bandwidth or total amount of assigned traffic.

A fiber exhaust coefficient is then determined as the sum of thicknessesof all the selected cycles and the candidate cycle divided by the totalfiber count or capacity of the selected and candidate cycles. Candidatecycles, rated in combination with the previously selected cycles, havinga smaller fiber exhaust coefficient have a better rating.

Adding the inter-ring traffic to each of the edges or network trafficcarrying connections of the corresponding cycle during the computationof the approximate bandwidth represents a worst case analysis in absenceof sufficient data which would enable a more specific determination ofthe particular edges or network traffic carrying connections theinter-ring traffic would traverse.

The load balancing of network traffic, like the method described byMyung-Kim-Tcha generally only makes sense in designs implementingbi-directional rings. This is because the method described byMyung-Kim-Tcha is necessarily directed to potentially routing some ofthe assigned traffic in the opposite direction around the selectedcycle/ring. An opposite direction, for purposes of the alternativeprimary routing of the traffic, is generally not available inuni-directional cycles/rings for non-failure related events.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a dual-homed cover 400 for the samplenetwork topology 40 illustrated in FIG. 3. More specifically, fourdual-homed cycles/rings are identified.

A first cycle 405 traverses locations k, p, q, t, u, v and w. A secondcycle 410 traverses locations k, p, o, n, r, s, t, u, and v. A thirdcycle 415 traverses locations d, e, i, j, k, l, f and m. A fourth cycle420 traverses locations b, c, g, h, j, k, w, v, u, t, s, r, n, m, f ande.

The first cycle 405 is dual-homed with respect to the second cycle 410via locations k and p. The first cycle 405 is dual-homed with respect tothe fourth cycle 420 via locations u and v. The second cycle 410 isdual-homed with respect to the fourth cycle 420 via locations s and t.The third cycle 415 is dual-homed with respect to the fourth cycle 420via locations j and k.

In at least one embodiment, where more than two locations are sharedbetween cycles, the locations serving as the dual-homing locations arearbitrarily selected, meaning any pair of shared locations can beselected.

After the dual-homed cover is determined 140, the traffic demand overthe one or more cycles is routed 150. In at least one embodiment trafficdemand is routed so as to minimize the amount of network trafficmanagement equipment required. This is called grooming the traffic. FIG.8 illustrates a more specific flow diagram 500 corresponding to the stepof routing 150 the traffic demand over the one or more cycles found inmethod 100.

As noted previously, one of the goals in at least one of the embodimentsis to route the traffic so as to minimize the amount of network trafficmanagement equipment required. Consistent with this goal, the morespecific flow diagram 500 for routing the traffic demand over the one ormore cycles 150 includes grooming 510 the traffic demand assigned to theavailable signal carrying connections. In connection therewith, a listof traffic demand entries and signal carrying connections is created520.

As part of creating a list of traffic demand entries, the traffic demandin the traffic matrix between a given pair of locations is initiallyrouted along a common path. Similarly, for each traffic demand ashortest path is initially selected, which at the same time minimizesthe number of transitions between cycles.

A transition between directly connected locations in the same cycle isassigned a weight of one. A transition between cycles at a location incommon to both cycles is weighted with a value that exceeds at leasthalf the number of locations on the largest cycle, in order todiscourage the number of transitions between cycles. Assigning a valuethat exceeds at least half the number of locations on the largest cyclediscourages transitions between cycles as compared to transitions on thesame cycle, because one is never further than half the distance ornumber of locations around a given cycle, as to between two locations onany given cycle. However, in order to keep computational matters simple,transitions between cycles at a location in common to both cycles isoften weighted so as to exceed the number of locations on the largestcycle. A shortest route is then computed using the weighted transitionvalues. It is important to remember that whenever the designated pathtravels inter-cycle through one of the dual-homed locations, the trafficdemand must also be routed through the other dual-homed location inorder to make provisions for network redundancy.

In some instances, after the traffic demand has been routed via theshortest route approach, traffic may still be rerouted away from theshortest route as part of a load balancing procedure. Correspondingconditions which make rerouting the traffic beneficial can result fromcircumstances where routing all of the traffic via the shortest route,would result in a disproportionate amount of traffic being routedthrough one or more edges of the ring, while the remainder of the ringis being under utilized. The requirements of the Sonet-based ringarchitecture are such that a given ring's capacity around the entirering must equal or exceed the largest traffic demand through any one ofthe edges.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example where it may be beneficial to reroutetraffic on a given cycle/ring 600 away from the shortest route in orderto minimize the volume of traffic through the most heavily congestededge. In the illustrated example, two shortest route traffic paths 605and 610 are illustrated.

The first traffic path 605, which travels from location a to location b,has a substantial amount of traffic associated with it, illustrated bythe thicker arrow showing the traffic path. The second traffic path 610,which travels from location a to location c, has a significantly lessamount of traffic. More importantly, for purposes of this example, it isassumed that traffic routed through the other locations d, e, f and g(paths not shown) is also relatively light.

In this example, it is beneficial to re-route the traffic demandtraveling, via the second path 610, between locations a and c,counter-clockwise, via traffic path 615 and locations d, e, f and g.Routing via travel path 615 avoids the more heavily congested edge 620between locations a and b. It may also be beneficial to reroute portionsof the traffic demand traveling along traffic path 605, betweenlocations a and b. The above-mentioned publication describing the loadbalancing method of Myung-Kim-Tcha goes into greater detail concerningintra-ring traffic load balancing. The technique could similarly be usedto balance portions of inter-ring traffic to the extent that they travelintra-ring over portions of their path.

In creating 520 the list of traffic demand entries, the inter-cycletraffic paths or traffic paths which travel between two or more cyclesare broken up into separate traffic demand entries which are limited tointra-cycle travel portions of the respective inter-cycle path. Anexample of this is illustrated in FIG. 10 where three dual-homed rings625 are illustrated, through which traffic traveling between locationa1, located on cycle 630, is routed to location c6, located on cycle635. More specifically, the traffic demand between location a1 andlocation c6 are broken into three separate traffic demand entries: afirst traffic demand entry, which traverses traffic path 640 throughlocations al, a2 and a3 on cycle 630; a second traffic demand entry,which traverses traffic path 645 through locations b2, b3, b4 and b5 oncycle 650; and a third traffic demand entry, which traverses trafficpath 655 through location c5, c4 and c6 on cycle 635. However, forrouting priority purposes, even though the traffic traveling via theinter-cycle paths are being broken up into separate traffic demandentries that are restricted to a single cycle, the traffic demandentries retain their designation as inter-cycle traffic.

The traffic demand entries are then rated 530, with the traffic demandentry having the highest rating being assigned 540. If there are trafficdemand entries remaining which have traffic volume not yet assigned 550,the ratings of the remaining unassigned traffic demand entries arerecalculated 560, and the remaining unassigned traffic demand entryhaving the highest rating is assigned 540. This is repeated until allthe traffic demand entries have been assigned.

The traffic demand entries are rated 530 based upon a series ofcriteria. FIG. 11 illustrates a more specific flow diagram 700corresponding to the step of rating 530 the traffic demand entries withrespect to the signal carrying connections having unassigned demand,found in the flow diagram 500. A description of the signal carryingconnections including the already assigned traffic demand and anynetwork management equipment is maintained in a list.

The rankings of the traffic demand entries are reviewed and analyzedusing a five-tiered approach, where each tier is individually reviewed.Initially the first tier rating criteria is reviewed. If a determinationof a best rated traffic demand entry can not be made after a review ofthe first tier rating criteria, a review of a second tier criteria ismade, and so on down the line until a highest rated traffic demand entrycan be determined with respect to the available unassigned capacity ofthe signal carrying connections.

Another way to look at this is that a rating vector is determined foreach traffic demand entry. The rating vector has five components. Theratings are determined with respect to a list of partially-filled signalcarrying connections routed around the ring, which could bebidirectional line switched rings. Partially filled means that thesignal carrying connection could already have network traffic or trafficmanagement equipment already assigned to it. At this point, we areunconcerned as to whether we have enough already existing physicalsignal carrying connections routed between the locations on thecycle/ring sufficient for routing the traffic without multiplexingmultiple ring channels onto a single signal carrying connection. As newsignal carrying connections are needed they are created and appended tothe existing list of signal carrying connections.

Initially when ranking the traffic demand entry, a determination is madeas to whether the signal carrying connection has sufficient capacity forrouting the traffic demand. A routing preference is only assigned 710 tothe traffic demand entry (i.e. a traffic demand is ranked) if sufficientcapacity is available, with respect to one of the signal carryingconnections.

The first tier of ranking includes assigning 720 a preference to trafficdemand entries that are part of an inter-ring traffic flow. In the atleast one embodiment, a zero is assigned to the first rating vectorentry if the traffic is inter-cycle, and a one is assigned to the firstrating vector entry if the traffic is intra-cycle.

The second tier includes assigning 730 a preference to traffic demandentries, which require less additional network traffic managementequipment to be added to the signal carrying connection in order toroute the traffic demand. This can be represented as the number ofadditional add-drop multiplexers which would be required. An add-dropmultiplexor is minimally required at the both the location where thetraffic is originated, and the location where the traffic is delivered.

An example which helps to illustrate this can be seen in FIG. 12. FIG.12 illustrates two signal carrying connections 800 traversing locationsa, b and c, which represent portions of two corresponding Sonet-rings.The first signal carrying connection 805 includes an already assignedadd-drop multiplexor 810 at locations a, b and c. The second signalcarrying connection 815 includes an already assigned add-dropmultiplexor 810 at locations a and c. The absence of an add-dropmultiplexor 810 at location b on the second signal carrying connection815 illustrates a bypass condition.

If we were attempting to apply a traffic demand which is originated atlocation a, and which is delivered at location b, the traffic demandentry would have a better rating with respect to the first signalcarrying connection 805, because no additional network managementequipment would be required, in order for the demand to be routed.However, in order for the traffic demand to be routed via the secondsignal carrying connection 815 would require an add-drop multiplexor 810to be added at location b.

If we were attempting to apply a traffic demand which is originated atlocation a, but which is delivered at location c, based upon the secondtier rating criteria, neither the first signal carrying connection 805nor the second signal carrying connection 815 would have a distinction.

The third tier, in connection with rating a traffic demand entry withrespect to a signal carrying connection, includes assigning 740 apreference to traffic demand entries, which require travel through lessnon-necessary network traffic management equipment in order to berouted. This can occur when traffic demand bypasses several locationswhere add-drop multiplexers are already assigned.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 12, using the third tier criteria,traffic which is originated at location a and is delivered to locationc, would have a higher rating in connection with the second signalcarrying connection 815 than the first signal carrying connection 805.This is because the first signal carrying connection has an add-dropmultiplexor 810 at location b through which the traffic travellingbetween locations a and c would travel through, which is not needed forrouting the traffic demand.

The fourth tier includes assigning 750 a routing preference to trafficdemand entries having a larger volume of traffic demand. Lastly, thefifth tier includes assigning 760 a routing preference to traffic demandentries, whose traffic demand traverses a larger number of locations.

After the traffic demand entries are routed, the number of requiredsignal carrying connections are compared against the number of availablesignal carrying connections (i.e. fiber). If the required number ofsignal carrying connections exceeds the number of available signalcarrying connections, the number of signal carrying connections beingrouted through a particular fiber is increased. This can be accomplishedby transmitting different signal carrying connections at differentfrequencies or wavelengths. This is called wave division multiplexing,and includes the addition of optical line terminals where multiplesignal carrying connections are being multiplexed onto or off of aparticular fiber. This is sometimes referred to as creating virtualbandwidth.

After the network traffic has been assigned and the necessary networktraffic management equipment has been placed, the results are stored orsupplied in the form of a report, which outlines the network design.

As noted previously, the method is of the type, which can be readilyperformed by a computer. FIG. 13 illustrates an isometric view of anexemplary system 900 including a computer 905 for performing all orparts of the method 100.

The system 900 additionally includes one or more input devices 910, suchas a keyboard 915, a mouse 920, a touch sensitive screen 925, scanner(not shown), modem, network connection, fixed or removable storagemedium, etc. The input device(s) 910 can be used for receiving thenetwork design requirements.

The system 900 also includes one or more output devices 930, such as adisplay 925, printer 935, fax machine (not shown), modem, networkconnection, fixed or removable storage medium, etc. The output device(s)can be used for storing or outputting a report containing the resultsincluding a representation of the designed bi-connected ring-basednetwork. The results can be stored, reported, or otherwise supplied ineither user (i.e human) or computer readable form.

FIG. 14 illustrates a block diagram 950 of the exemplary system 900illustrated in FIG. 13. The block diagram 950 includes a processor 955capable of executing instruction sequences, which is generallyincorporated as part of the computer 905. The processor is coupled tothe one or more input device(s) 910 and output device(s) 930, for atleast some of the purposes noted above. The processor is additionallycoupled to a source of instruction sequences 960, which are generallyprestored. The instruction sequences can be stored in such devices astraditional computer memories, including both RAM and ROM type memories,as well as could be read off of a computer data storage device,including hard disk, floppy disk, or CDROM.

The prestored instructions include instruction sequences for performingthe above described method including instructions 965 for forming aplurality of connected rings, instructions 970 for selecting a set ofrings, and instructions 975 for allocating traffic on the selectedrings. Additional instructions sequences, not shown, includeinstructions for forming a minimal set of dual-homed rings covering thenetwork, instructions for evaluating intra-ring traffic and inter-ringtraffic, instructions for evaluating bandwidth requirements,instructions for determining the locations of at least one of opticalmultiplexers and optical terminals, and instructions for minimizingtraffic flow between rings.

When the method 100 is implemented at least in part on a computer 905,the sets of instructions can include executable instructions from one ormore of a variety of programming languages. One such suitableprogramming language for implementing the disclosed method 100 is calledMaple.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations andmodifications may be effected without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation withrespect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended orshould be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appendedclaims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.

1-65. (canceled)
 66. A method for designing a bi-connected ring-basednetwork comprising: receiving a list of locations where network trafficis at least one of originated and delivered; receiving a list of pairsof directly connected locations, each defining a corresponding networktraffic carrying connection including one or more signal carryingconnections between each of the directly connected locations, and acapacity for each of the network traffic carrying connections; receivinga list of traffic demand between each of the listed pairs of locations;determining a dual homed cover including one or more dual homed cycles,each cycle comprising a closed loop sequence of directly connectedlocations and corresponding network traffic carrying connections,wherein each location, which is capable of being bi-connected, isincluded in at least one of the one or more dual homed cycles; routingthe traffic demand over the one or more cycles via the one or more ofthe network traffic carrying connections; at least one of outputting areport and storing a representation containing the designed bi-connectedring-based network; where determining includes: finding a list ofcandidate cycles by finding a minimal length cycle for each unorderedpair of locations; and selecting one or more of the candidate cyclesfrom the list.
 67. A method in accordance with claim 66 additionallycomprising after routing the traffic demand over the one or more cycles,adding additional traffic carrying capacity for each of the networktraffic carrying connections where the routed traffic demand exceeds theavailable capacity.
 68. A method in accordance with claim 67 whereinadding additional traffic carrying capacity includes adding additionalsignal carrying connections between the corresponding directly connectedlocations.
 69. A method in accordance with claim 68 wherein addingadditional signal carrying connections between the correspondingdirectly connected locations includes routing additional fiber or wireconnections between two directly connected locations.
 70. A method inaccordance with claim 67 wherein adding additional traffic carryingcapacity includes increasing the bandwidth of the existing signalcarrying connections between the corresponding directly connectedlocations.
 71. A method in accordance with claim 70 wherein increasingthe bandwidth of existing signal carrying connections includescompressing multiple data streams onto the same signal carryingconnection between the corresponding directly connected locations.
 72. Amethod in accordance with claim 71 wherein compressing multiple datastreams onto the same signal carrying connection includes transmittingeach of the data streams using a different carrier frequency orwavelength.
 73. A method in accordance with claim 66 wherein finding alist of candidate cycles additionally includes removing from the list ofcandidate cycles any redundant cycles.
 74. A method in accordance withclaim 66 wherein finding a list of candidate cycles additionallyincludes removing any cycles containing more than a predeterminedmaximum number of locations in the cycle sequence.
 75. A method inaccordance with claim 66 wherein routing the traffic demand includesgrooming the traffic demand assigned to the available signal carryingconnections of the one or more cycles so as to minimize the amount ofnetwork traffic management equipment required for routing the trafficdemand.
 76. A method in accordance with claim 75 wherein grooming thetraffic demand includes grouping network traffic originating from acommon source location and being delivered to a common destinationlocation onto the same signal carrying connections.
 77. A method inaccordance with claim 75 wherein the network traffic managementequipment includes one or more of add-drop multiplexers and optical lineterminals.
 78. A method in accordance with claim 66 where in each of theone or more dual homed cycles has at least one location which is presentin no other cycle.
 79. A method in accordance with claim 66 wherein thetraffic demand to be routed is determined by multiplying an alreadyexisting demand between each of the locations by a common multiple. 80.A method comprising: establishing a set of data which defines topologyof a point-to-point network; and determining a dual-homed cover for thenetwork, the cover includes a plurality of dual-homed rings.
 81. Amethod as in claim 80 which includes incorporating traffic demandinformation into the set of data and routing the traffic demand over theplurality of dual-homed rings.
 82. A method as in claim 80 whichincludes removing any redundant rings, rating remaining rings inaccordance with a predetermined criteria and selecting at least one ringin accordance therewith.
 83. A method of designing networks comprising:defining and storing a plurality of network nodes; defining and storinga plurality of traffic limited links between the nodes; defining aplurality of dual-homed communications rings formed of nodes joined bylinks; specifying and storing system traffic; allocating traffic on thelinks in accordance with link capacity to support the specified traffic;and storing a representation of at least the rings in a writeablemedium; and which includes representing the nodes and links as a graphhaving weighted edges wherein the weightings of the edges correspond tonumbers of fibers in respective links, wherein a pre-stored minimallength criterion is applied to the rings and wherein a set of minimumlength rings is selected and stored.
 84. A method as in claim 83 whichincludes defining locations of traffic add/drop ports in accordance witha predetermined criterion.
 85. A method as in claim 83 which includesdisplaying the rings in human discernable form.
 86. A method as in claim83 which includes specifying the rings in a multi-dimensional matrix andstoring the matrix in a writeable medium.
 87. A method as in claim 83which includes storing the traffic as a matrix in a writeable medium.88. A method as in claim 87 which includes establishing those ringswhich include first and second common nodes, and, allocating trafficbetween those nodes among those rings.
 89. A method as in claim 88wherein the traffic between those first and second nodes is allocatedequally among those rings.
 90. A method as in claim 88 which includesestablishing rings which include a third node, but not a fourth node andthose rings which include the fourth node but not the third node andallocating traffic between those nodes to the respective ones of thoserings.
 91. A method as in claim 88 which includes establishing abandwidth parameter for each ring for traffic allocated thereon.
 92. Amethod as in claim 91 which includes establishing a required bandwidthparameter for each link of each ring and storing same in a writeablemedium.
 93. A method as in claim 87 which includes selecting pairs ofnodes shared by respective pairs of rings in support of inter-ringtraffic.
 94. A method as in claim 93 which includes selecting a minimallength traffic route between first and second nodes in accordance with apre-determined criterion.
 95. A method as in claim 94 which includesassigning a first weight to adjacent vertices in a selected ring and agreater weight to common vertices of first and second rings and whereintraffic between selected vertices is routed on a minimal weight paththerebetween.
 96. Software for designing communications networkscomprising: a storage medium; a first plurality of stored executableinstructions for receiving information defining a network including aplurality of nodes joined by connecting communications links includingan indicium of the number of communications paths in each link and amulti-dimensional representation of a traffic pattern; a secondplurality of stored, executable instructions for forming a biconnectedrepresentation of the network; a third plurality of stored, executableinstructions for forming a file defining connecting links between nodes;and a fourth plurality of stored executable instructions for forming atraffic data file; and which includes a plurality of instructions forforming a minimal set of dual-homed rings covering the network inaccordance with a predetermined criterion.
 97. Software as in claim 96which includes a plurality of instructions for evaluating intra-ringtraffic and inter-ring traffic.
 98. Software as in claim 96 whichincludes a plurality of instructions for evaluating bandwidthrequirements on links of the rings in response to the traffic data file.99. Software as in claim 97 which includes a plurality of instructionsfor minimizing traffic flow between rings.
 100. A method comprising:establishing a plurality of locations; establishing a plurality of dualhomed cycles which cover at least some of the locations; establishing adual homed cover which includes at least some of the members of theplurality; wherein selecting one or more cycles comprises: rating eachcycle; selecting the best rated cycle; determining if the selectedcycles cover all the locations capable of being bi-connected; if theselected cycles do not cover all locations capable of beingbi-connected, selecting an additional cycle, which is bi-connected withat least one of the previously selected cycles, and which in combinationwith the previously selected cycles has the best rating, and repeatingthe selection process for additional cycles until all locations capableof being bi-connected are covered.
 101. A method comprising:establishing a plurality of dual homed cycles; establishing a dual homedcover which includes at least some of the members of the plurality;creating a list of traffic demand entries, where each traffic demandentry comprises a value of the volume of traffic and a sequence ofnetwork traffic carrying connections that the traffic traverses;creating a list of signal carrying connections where each signalcarrying connection comprises a traffic carrying capacity, a valuecorresponding to the amount of traffic already assigned, and a list oftraffic management equipment supporting the already assigned traffic;rating the traffic demand entries with respect to the signal carryingconnections having unassigned capacity; assigning the value of thevolume of traffic associated with the traffic demand entry having thehighest rating to the corresponding signal carrying connection havingunassigned capacity; and recalculating the ratings of any traffic demandentries, where the value of the volume of traffic has not yet beenassigned, and assigning the value of the volume of traffic associatedwith the traffic demand entry having the highest rating to thecorresponding signal carrying connection having available unassignedcapacity until all the traffic demand entries have been assigned.